Loading ...Weight LossCoconut Water — A Great Way to Diet… and Hydrate
If you’ve ever vacationed in the tropics, you’ve probably seen people drinking from what looks like 
peeled coconuts with straws inserted. Now I’m finding more and more skinned coconuts in the fruit and vegetable section of grocery stores. Chop off the top, insert a straw and drink up. Coconut water is becoming so popular that there is now a whole bunch of canned coconut water drinks on the market.
So what’s the deal with coconut water?
Well, I can’t speak to the dozens of pre-packaged products that are showing up (usually sold in cans), but I can tell you what’s found inside the actual coconut. And it’s a nutritional bonanza that could easily be a boon to people trying to control their weight.
One cup of real coconut water contains a measly 46 calories. (Remember, I’m talking about the liquid that occurs naturally inside the coconut, not some “coconut milk” sweetened product — that’s a whole different animal.) It also contains a surprisingly high 3 grams of dietary fiber and 2 grams of protein. Best of all, it’s a fabulous source of potassium — way better than a banana.
Two companies that are marketing excellent commercial products are O.N.E. and Zico, both of which make convenient one-serving containers that are perfect for travel and for the gym. While neither has any fiber, they both contain a whopping 670 mg of potassium as well as four other essential electrolytes.
Both taste great, they’re surprisingly filling and refreshing, and best of all, each contains only 60 calories per serving, way less than the typical “sports drink.”
Lots of nutrients for a very small number of calories. That profile definitely makes it a great drink for a weight management program.
[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He's a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master's degree in psychology and the author of five books including The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. His latest book is The Most Effective Cures on Earth. For more information, click here.]
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What you forgot to mention is that the after-taste of coconut water is very FUNKY. But it looks like Zico came out with some mango and passion fruit flavours which allow me to enjoy it a lot more. I can’t remember what brands I tried before, but they both came in cans and were awful-tasting.
Entered: June 30th, 2009 at 4:16 pm. PermalinkDo know of any freeze dried or powered coconut water?
Entered: July 26th, 2009 at 12:42 pm. PermalinkWow-great article, I would never have guessed that it could be so good for you.
Entered: July 27th, 2009 at 12:50 pm. PermalinkDr Bowden could have done some basic research before writing this article, in my opinion. What he refers to as “skinned” coconuts are actually YOUNG coconuts. It is when coconuts AGE that they shrink and develop the brown fibrous exterior that they are usually more recognised by.
He then talks about the water that occurs “naturally” and not some “sweetened milk” product sold in cans. But it is as the coconut ages that the water naturally converts to milk, which is why you cannot obtain water from old coconuts. The milk he sneers at IS a natural product and is used regularly in Oriential and Indonesian cooking in its natural, unsweetened form. This is how it is sold in a can. Unsweetened. Unless Dr Bowden shops in confectionary outlets, I have never seen a can of sweetened coconut milk. It is a savoury product. It is not a coconut-flavoured version of condensed milk.
And no, you cannot purchase the actual water in freeze dried or powdered form. It is only the milk or the interior of older coconut that you can get in dried or desiccated form. The reason coconut water is so expensive is that young coconuts are hard to collect; the trees are so high that it is a perilous job to pull the young fruit off the trees. As they age, they fall naturally which is why the old (fibrous) coconuts are so much cheaper.
Entered: August 8th, 2009 at 4:59 am. PermalinkCommentor Mona Benjamin is a little misinformed.
Yes, young green coconuts are the source of coconut water. However, supermarkets are in fact selling “skinned” cocnuts (the green outer shell is peeled off, and what’s left is shaved to a sort of pointed end, which you cut off to reveal the hole through which you can extract the coconut wter with a straw.
There is indeed a canned product labeled as “coconut milk” that is liquified coconut meat that has sugar added to it. I see it all the time in supermarkets.
So before YOU do some sneering of your own, Ms. Mona, please do YOUR research.
Entered: September 13th, 2009 at 12:16 am. PermalinkMs. Benjamin is a LOT misinformed. Thank you Ms. Ryan. Another error is about how coconut MILK is made. It is NOT from the coconut water as it ages. It is from the jello like substance ( meat) in the young coconut that then become hard. That hard “meat” still contains coconut WATER inside it although the flavour will have changed. It is that hard “meat” that is processed to become coconut MILK. In Jamaica where I am from, the meat is grated, water added and “MILK” is then squeezed from that mixture. It is that same hard meat that is shredded to make topping for cake or candy.
All the canned coconut water I have tried tastes horrible to me. I drink a bottled one ” Agua de Coco” bottled in Jamaica. In my opinion it comes closest to the “straight from the coconut taste.” They say it has no preservatives, no additives and they may be right. It comes frozen and if you leave it out until it is room temperature it will quickly spoil. I order it by the case and drink it instead of water ( I don’t like water). The funky taste Piper mentioned may be from preservatives or processing of other brands. Really Agua de coco comes very close to a pure taste.
Entered: October 20th, 2009 at 11:32 am. PermalinkBTW the picture that comes with the article is misleading. When you open the old/dried coconut you will not see a white milk-like liquid coming out. The liquid will be basically colourless whether young or old.
rene
healthy food is always one of the best way to come out from any problem. I am always stick to healthy food. Thank you very much for giving a healthy article to us. I will follow it whenever I need it.
Entered: October 24th, 2009 at 7:21 am. Permalink